Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Wil Misiorek
16WGM@queensu.ca

Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing to drop ECON 111 (Fall, 2017) and CISC 121 (Fall, 2017) after the academic penalty deadline.

For the last four years, I have struggled with anxiety and depression. The symptoms that came along with these conditions began to worsen in early October, and my academic performance suffered as a result. I soon found myself unable to fall asleep at night, which caused me to take long naps throughout the day that would last about eight hours. I was inadvertently skipping classes because I was exhausted and could not force myself to stay awake any longer. During this time, my appetite disappeared as well, and I was lucky to get more than one meal a day. As a result of my appetite, I always felt exhausted and I could never focus on doing my work because I lacked the nutrients to do so. I saw a counselor in late September to help with my anxiety, but I did not disclose all of my problems to him. After the appointment, everything started going downhill and I never booked a follow up. In the middle of October, I booked an appointment with student wellness services to see if I could get on any medication. I got put on medication for depression and for insomnia, but neither medication seemed to do anything for me. I had a follow up appointment scheduled with the doctor, but I slept through the appointment and was unable to schedule another appointment within the month. Throughout October and November, I struggled to get out of bed everyday and rarely attended classes. Assignments were confusing and I was too tired to go over readings. All in all, my depression and anxiety have interfered with my academics since the beginning of October.

I plan on coming back to Queen¿¿s after I fix the issues that I have been having with my mental health. While I am back home, I will meet with my counselor every week and I will discuss possible medications with my doctor. When I come back to Queen¿¿s, I plan on making several lifestyle changes that will reduce the chances of this happening again. I will meet with a counselor regularly so that I stay on track and do not fall behind like I did this year. If I struggle in any classes, I will make it a priority to go to office hours or the study center in order to understand some of the concepts that are unclear. This year I realized that psychology and economics are not interesting to me, so I will take electives that I am passionate about like music and geography. One of the biggest changes that I will make is that I will visit the gym regularly. I worked out regularly back home, but it did not translate over when I moved in. I plan on creating a gym schedule that I can fit into my routine so that I can be healthier and more confident. These are all changes that I believe will prevent this from happening again, and I believe that they are all feasible goals if I give myself time to become healthier.

Sincerely,

Wil Misiorek